Meanings
present singular third person flouts · participle present flouting · participle past flouted · past flouted
- transitiveTo express contempt for (laws, rules, etc.) by word or action.
The manoeuvres of Microsoft and HP appear to comply with the letter of the regulations, even if they flout their spirit.
2012 September 29, “Tax alchemy: Tech's avoidance”, in The Economist1 more example
Of necessity[…] the duty to comply with the rules designed to spare civilians as much as possible the hazards of war is absolute, not contingent on the behavior of opponents. The Israeli government already seems to be flouting those rules.
2023 October 11, Kenneth Roth, “The attack on Israel has been called a ‘9/11 moment’. Therein lies a cautionary tale”, in The Guardian, →ISSNSynonyms: fleer, jeer, fleer, gird, jeer, jibe, scoff, scorn
- archaictransitiveTo scorn.
Three gaudy standards flout the pale blue sky.
1812–1818, Lord Byron, “(please specify |canto=I to IV)”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. , London: John Murray,, stanza 411 more example
Yet all ' s not worth a pin, But could not get her; Phillida flouts me. Dick had her to the Vine
1653, Iz[aak] Wa[lton], The Compleat Angler or The Contemplative Man’s Recreation. Being a Discourse of Fish and Fishing, […], London: […] T. Maxey for Rich[ard] Marriot, […], →OCLC; reprinted as The Compleat Angler (Homo Ludens; 6), Nieuwkoop, South Holland, Netherlands: Miland Publishers, 1969, →ISBN
plural flouts
- The act by which something is flouted; violation of a law.
A flout is when someone deliberately and ostentatiously contravenes a maxim.
2012, John Flowerdew, Discourse in English Language Education, page 97 - A mockery or insult.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo express contempt for (laws, rules, etc.) by word or action.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishflouten“to play the flute”
- Englishflout
Perhaps from Middle English flouten (“to play the flute”); compare with Dutch fluiten.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian пренебрегвам, надсмивам се
- пренебрегвам (prenebregvam)to express contempt for the rules by word or action
- надсмивам се (nadsmivam se)to scorn
- подигравам се (podigravam se)to scorn
Chinese Mandarin 公然藐視 /藐视、違背 /违背, 藐視 /藐视、鄙視 /鄙视、不屑
- 公然藐視 /藐视、違背 /违背 (miǎoshì)to express contempt for the rules by word or action
- 藐視 /藐视、鄙視 /鄙视、不屑 (bǐshì)to scorn
Czech opovrhovat, nedbat
- opovrhovatto express contempt for the rules by word or action
- nedbatto express contempt for the rules by word or action
- ignorovatto express contempt for the rules by word or action
- pohrdatto express contempt for the rules by word or action
Dutch minachten, veronachtzamen
- minachtento express contempt for the rules by word or action
- veronachtzamento express contempt for the rules by word or action
- bespottento scorn
Finnish uhmata, halveksia
- uhmatato express contempt for the rules by word or action
- halveksiato express contempt for the rules by word or action
- pitää pilkkanaanto express contempt for the rules by word or action
- halveksiato scorn
- pitää pilkkanaanto scorn
French mépriser, se moquer de
- mépriserto scorn
- se moquer deto scorn
German sich hinwegsetzen über, missachten
- sich hinwegsetzen überto express contempt for the rules by word or action
- missachtento express contempt for the rules by word or action
- pfeifen aufto express contempt for the rules by word or action
- verspottento scorn
- beleidigento scorn
- Missachtungact by which something is flouted
Hungarian semmibe vesz, fittyet hány
- semmibe veszto express contempt for the rules by word or action
- fittyet hányto express contempt for the rules by word or action
- kigúnyolto scorn
- kicsúfolto scorn
- megcsúfolto scorn
- arcul csapto scorn
Māori whakatoi, whakatoitoi
- whakatoito express contempt for the rules by word or action
- whakatoitoito express contempt for the rules by word or action
- whakatoito scorn
- whakatoitoito scorn
Polish lekceważyć, zlekceważyć
- lekceważyćto express contempt for the rules by word or action
- zlekceważyćto express contempt for the rules by word or action
- gardzićto scorn
- zlekceważenieact by which something is flouted
Portuguese desrespeitar, escarnecer
- desrespeitarto express contempt for the rules by word or action
- escarnecerto scorn
- ridicularizarto scorn
Romanian fluiera în biserică
- fluiera în bisericăto express contempt for the rules by word or action
Russian пренебрега́ть, насмехаться
- пренебрега́ть (prenebregátʹ)to express contempt for the rules by word or action
- насмехаться (nasmexatʹsja)to scorn
- глумиться (glumitʹsja)to scorn
Spanish sobreponerse, saltarse a la torera
- sobreponerseto express contempt for the rules by word or action
- saltarse a la torerato express contempt for the rules by word or action
Ukrainian зневажати, нехтувати
- зневажати (znevažaty)to express contempt for the rules by word or action
- нехтувати (nextuvaty)to express contempt for the rules by word or action
- глузувати (hluzuvaty)to scorn
- насміхатися (nasmixatysja)to scorn
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with flout
Cite this entry
flout. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flout
“flout.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flout. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flout,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flout.
Source: flout on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.